More Than This (27 page)

Authors: Shannyn Schroeder

BOOK: More Than This

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CHAPTER 18

R
yan fumed and kicked at boxes in his path while talking to his mother on the phone.
“How could you tell her it was a good idea, Mom?”

“Because it is.”

“No, it’s not. Anything could happen to her. And she’ll be too far away.”

“We need to trust she’ll take care of herself.”

“But—”

“Maggie’s not a child anymore. She needs to live her life. She needs to move past
the bad memories.”

He sank onto the edge of the couch and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Running away
won’t help.”

His mother’s sigh sounded the same as Maggie’s had an hour earlier. “She’s not running
away.”

“Traveling all over Europe, thousands of miles from home, is running away.”

“No, it’s not. She’s traveling, expanding her horizons. Think of it as an adventure.”

Damn women and their adventures.

“She feels stifled here, Ryan. She needs to get away.”

“Because of me, right? That’s what you’re saying.”

“It’s everything from the last three years. She needs to live her life. And it’s about
time you started living yours again.”

He shook his head at the phone. How did she manage to turn every conversation in this
direction? “I’m living my life, Mom.”

“Work is not life. I know you love the pub, but you need more. When was the last time
you had a date?”

Did sleeping with Quinn count? He couldn’t mention Quinn to his family.

“I’ll take your silence to mean it’s been too long. Has there been anyone since Cassie?”

“I’m fine, Mom.” The last thing he needed was for her to pressure him so she could
meet Quinn. She’d love her.

“Will you be at Sunday dinner this week?”

“Of course.”

“You missed last month with your brothers and sisters.”

“But I came to see you the next two weekends.”

“I like for the family to be together.”

“I’ll be there. I have to go now.”

“Stop worrying, Ryan. Things have a way of working out.”

“Uh-huh. Love you.” He disconnected, irritated his mother had encouraged Maggie.

He felt grungy still wearing yesterday’s clothes, so he showered and changed. Maggie
was smart. He’d give her that. Sneaky, but smart.

She’d called early in the morning, knowing he’d take her call, but hoping he’d be
too tired to focus on her words. She hadn’t counted on him being awake because he’d
just gotten home. There was still half a week before family dinner. Enough time for
him to get pissed and cool off. She definitely approached this with a plan.

He went down to the bar, brooding over Maggie’s decision. Mary startled him two steps
in the door.

“Look at this,” she said, beaming. She thrust a handful of pages at him.

“What are you doing here? You should be at home asleep.” He took the papers without
giving them a glance and moved to the bar.

“I left by midnight last night. I was too excited to sleep late. Sit and read. I’ll
get you coffee.” She moved around the bar and poured him coffee.

He read the papers she’d handed him. They were all e-mails from last night’s speed
daters. From the glowing compliments, it looked like Mary had been successful. There
was even one from a friend of a dater.

“Congratulations. You did good.”

She blushed. “I’m sure I’ll get more feedback that won’t be so positive, but it felt
good to wake up to this.”

Not as good as it felt to wake up next to Quinn.

“Your friend Quinn left early. I hope she had fun.”

“It turned out fine.”
In more ways than one.
He sipped his coffee.

Mary wiped down the already clean counter. She was building up to something.

“Good job last night. You impressed me.”

“Good. Can I ask a favor?”

“As long as it’s not asking for a raise.”

Her smile broadened. The thought hadn’t occurred to her. “I want to plan another event.”

“That’s not a favor. And you don’t need permission. Do whatever you think will work.”

He walked back to his office feeling battered. First Maggie informed him she was taking
off halfway around the world. Then his mother brought memories of Cassie back to the
surface.

He’d loved Cassie. Their split made sense, though. He knew it. It still stung because
she was the one to call it off. She’d been too needy.

Cassie had put up with a lot. When they started dating, he only had Twilight. His
father called him in to help straighten out O’Leary’s. It had been a huge task. Colin
fucked it up good.

And Dad died.

Cassie stuck with him through everything. When they started drifting, he’d thought
he owed it to her to keep trying. He cared for her.

When Maggie had been raped, his life boiled over. It had been too much for Cassie.
She needed more of him than he could give. His family had to come first. She didn’t
want a big family of her own. He couldn’t imagine marrying and not having a brood.
That thought made him think of Quinn. She was still waiting for an answer about him
being her sperm donor.

Too bad he didn’t have one for her.

At his desk, he began logging in the previous night’s receipts. The night hadn’t just
been a success for Mary’s singles; it had also been hugely profitable. If every event
she hosted brought a draw like this, he’d owe Mary a raise.

After the lunch crowd slimmed, a childhood friend and local beat cop pushed through
the doors. Charlie Boyle had always been tall and gangly. Even weighed down by police
paraphernalia, he looked too skinny.

Ryan was chatting with the old timers in the corner when Charlie sat at the bar. Mary
took his order, so Ryan topped off the old men’s coffees before going by Charlie.

“Officer Boyle. How’s it going?” Ryan extended his hand across the bar.

“Good. How about with you?”

“Same. Colin’s back in town. He’d probably like to see you.”

“Shit. It’s been a long time. What’s he been up to?”

“Whatever floats his boat.”

“So he hasn’t changed, huh?”

Ryan left the question unanswered. He didn’t believe Colin had changed, but Charlie
should form his own opinion.

“You don’t stop in for lunch often. Is there a reason for the visit?”

“Actually, yeah.” He waved his hand to bring Ryan closer and lowered his voice. “We’re
alerting local bar owners. There’s been an increase in rapes in the area.”

“Shit. Why haven’t I seen this on the news?”

“It hasn’t been on. I’m not talking drag-a-woman-in-the-alley rape. These guys are
picking up women in bars and drugging them with roofies.”

Ryan stilled. Ice pierced through his body. “Who? Where?”

“Shooter’s on Ashland. Take a Cue on Belmont. And twice at Duffy’s.” No location was
needed for Duffy’s. They were Ryan’s biggest and closest competitor.

“Four women?”

Charlie nodded. “That we know of. You know what that shit does to women.”

Ryan thought of Maggie and his stomach clenched. “Any leads?”

“All four women are in their thirties. All of the attacks happened on weeknights when
they were having drinks after work at neighborhood bars. They definitely have a type.”

Mary placed a Reuben sandwich and fries in front of Charlie. She turned to refill
his Coke. The men waited silently.

“You said ‘guys.’ You have suspects?”

Charlie took a huge bite of the sandwich and chewed. “Yes and no. The women said some
younger guys were hitting on them. Not much to go on.”

“Descriptions?”

Charlie shook his head. “We’ve got nothing solid. Younger than thirty, good-looking.
They travel in a pack.”

“What can I do?”

“You already do more than most bars, given your history. Talk with your people. Tell
them what to look for. Remind women not to leave their drinks unattended and not to
accept one unless it’s delivered by an employee.”

Ryan nodded. “The bar staff doesn’t remember these guys?”

Charlie shrugged with another mouthful of food. “Nothing rang a bell. No credit slips
matching. These guys probably use cash.”

Ryan rapped knuckles on the bar. “Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. Enjoy your
lunch.”

As he passed Mary, he told her not to charge Charlie for lunch. He went to his office.
He needed to forward this information to his staff without causing panic. He made
notes and told Mary Charlie’s news. He’d call everyone in for an emergency meeting
before dinner. Mary would deliver the information. He was too stirred up and knew
it.

Quinn searched for a bar hosting karaoke. She figured it would be cheating to reserve
a quiet room in a karaoke bar because she wouldn’t have much of an audience. Plus,
she didn’t want to compete with people who took karaoke too seriously. She was revved
up and knew she could sing tonight. She thought of calling Ryan. He’d have ideas,
but he might want to come with. She didn’t know if she could perform with him in the
audience.

She called Kate instead. “Hi, Kate. It seems like forever since we talked. Can you
go out tonight?”

Kate’s voice was tight. “God, I’d love to get away from here. Mark’s probably working
late, though. I haven’t heard from him.”

“I have
so
much to tell you.”

“Sounds good. Indy coming?”

“You know, I’m trying to find karaoke for tonight. I don’t think I’ll call her.” She
felt a ping of guilt. It wasn’t Indy’s fault she was the better singer.

“Let me call my mom and see if she can babysit.”

“You must want to go out really bad to call your mom.”

“You have no idea.”

“I’ll call you back when I know where I’m heading.”

They clicked off. Quinn scanned her brain for a way to find karaoke. Ryan came back
to her mind, but when she pushed him back this time, Colin popped up. He’d have the
same connections Ryan did. He also seemed to be more of a partier.

She eyed the phone. She could call O’Leary’s and hope Ryan didn’t answer the phone.
Or she could just go in. If Ryan was there, she could say hi. She wouldn’t mind seeing
him. Even if Colin wasn’t around, someone else might have ideas.

On the drive to O’Leary’s she had the windows down and the radio up. She sang every
song. She belted it out and energy hummed through her nerves.

The bar’s parking lot was abnormally full for a Wednesday afternoon. It wasn’t even
dinnertime yet. The outdoor patio was empty. She entered the bar and found few customers.

Colin stood behind the bar alone. A rope had been pulled across the archway leading
to the dance floor. A sign hung from it declaring it was a private party. She sidled
up to the bar.

“Hi. Remember me?”

“How could I forget? You snuck out last night.” He was drying glasses and sliding
them into place on a shelf.

“Sorry. I was tired and needed to get out of here. It had absolutely nothing to do
with you.” She brought one foot up to rest on the brass pipe running along the bottom
of the bar and leaned forward. “I have a favor to ask.”

He put down the glass he held and slung the towel over his shoulder. He, too, leaned
forward on the bar. “Anything, beautiful.”

“Do you know where I could find karaoke?”

“Twilight will have it soon.”

She crinkled her nose. “No, I’m looking for something for tonight.”

“There’s something going on at Duffy’s. You need directions?”

She’d been there before. It was another Irish pub, but not nearly as homey and friendly
as O’Leary’s. “Sending me to the competition?”

“You asked. I provided information. I would beg you to stay with me if I thought it
would work. It would make for fun competition.” He brought her hand to his lips and
kissed it.

She pulled it back smoothly. She didn’t want to be rude and jerk away, but the “ick”
factor shuffled through her.

“Can I get you a drink?”

“No, thanks. I have to get going.” She tilted her head toward the back room. “Another
big event tonight?”

“Staff meeting.”

She pulled back from the bar. “Shouldn’t you be there too?”

“Someone has to tend the bar. Ryan figures I’m the most expendable.”

She backed toward the door. “Those are harsh words. Thanks for the information. I
owe you one.”